On May 14th (Thursday), the first major theme lecture was held. The lecturer, Dr. Mieko Nishimizu, who is a former deputy president of World Bank, is now active as a think tank Sophia bank partner, is invited to give a talk entitled "Power of seriousness".

While she was in the World Bank, she aimed to create a world without poverty. As such she visited many South Asian countries as part of her work. The one country that she has learned the most from is Bhutan. In Bhutan, the king had a serious passion for his duty. He asserted his leadership and advanced in politics for the people. On the other hand, the king also said that it is the duty of each citizen to make a country, and should not depend on the policy makers. She ended her lecture on a note based on this experience and it made us think about the situation in Japan. During the questions and answer session after the lecture, many questions were raised and the dialogue between the lecturer and the students continued.